My aunt, who has a heart of gold, has recently become impassioned about environmental issues. Seems great, right? Well unfortunately she thinks being an environmentalist means buying a lot of "eco-friendly" junk for me and the rest of the family that either really isn't environmentally friendly or that no one...

For those of us in the Midwest, summer is so much easier when it comes to eating local -- lots of farmers markets stocked with goodies from local growers, bakers and purveyors. Now those little meccas of low-impact food are closed for the season. Any suggestions for how we can...

My fiancé and I love to entertain, but I'm so fed up of trying to deal with everyone's dietary/environmental restrictions! I've tried asking people ahead of time what they do and don't eat, but I always seem to end up with guests who pointedly avoid some dishes. How do I...

I have been hearing reports that recycling is bad. That the costs of shipping, mostly the carbon emissions from them, counteract any benefit from recycling. Is this true?

-Daniel

Do you know why myths like this gain traction? Because they're so completely contrary to common sense that they wind up...

My friend is a hardcore vegan and says I can't call myself an environmentalist, since I still eat meat. I disagree, since I sincerely care about the future of the world and do a lot to help the environment. I even volunteer with an organization to plant trees in my...

I try my best to be environmentally conscious (I recycle, bike to work, buy organic when possible), so I recently bought CFLs for my whole house -- but they look horrible! Is there anything I can do? I feel like I'm living in a college dorm.

-Mitch

Ugh, I really...

I love to entertain. I dutifully recycle all our empty wine and champagne bottles but feel a little guilty about tossing out the corks. After all the arts and crafts projects are done, any idea what I can do with the corks?

-Samantha

Ah, the cork -- a source of...

The other day, I offered to take my friend with me as a guest to my local health club. He seemed surprised that I belong to a gym, and pointed out that since I'm eco-conscious (I drive a Prius, always buy organic), I should probably just skip the cardio machines...

Any ideas on how to store food without all the cling wrap, foil, and disposable plastic bags and containers and keep it reasonably fresh?

-Karina

Before I devised my current eco-friendly system of food storage, I drove my husband bananas with my crazy workarounds. Plastic wrap -- nearly impossible to...

Did you know that the diesel engine was originally invented to run on vegetable oil? Or that ethanol was the preferred fuel for Henry Ford's Model T? (That is, until John D. Rockefeller of Standard Oil conveniently supported a little amendment to the Constitution known as Prohibition, which effectively outlawed...

I am mom to the most magnificent 5-year-old girl, and am admittedly obsessive about her health -- especially when it comes to the food she eats. We only eat organic, and I rarely allow sugary treats in the house (the closest we get is home-baked oatmeal cookies made with honey)....

Those who question the motivation and preparedness of our nation's youth to tackle our environmental and energy challenges have yet to witness the students entered in the US Department of Energy's 2009 Solar Decathlon competition.

Last week, I visited the campus of Santa Clara University, where members of...

I live in Los Angeles, and have a friend who runs his cars on biodiesel. He told me last week that LA County has ruled it a threat to the water table to store biodiesel in underground tanks, thereby effectively eliminating its sale. Is this true? How can biodiesel (99...

Because of the ongoing water shortage in my Southern California town, we're now limited to the number of days we can water our lawns. But in the neighborhood I recently moved to, there's my new neighbor, nearly every day of the week, hosing down his driveway (not even his garden...

The first time I brought home a package of recycled toilet paper, my husband was not a happy camper. Caressed since childhood by the fluffy comfort of Charmin and Quilted Northern, the rough texture of 80 percent post-consumer content seemed harsh by comparison.

"Do we really have to...

I heard that by buying a new Prius, you are doing more damage eco-wise than continuing to use your worn, but not-worn-out, SUV. It has something to do with the energy used to produce a Prius -- supposedly it will take you seven years to break even. Is this true?

Dear Eco Etiquette:

No doubt by now you've heard the buzz about The Cove, the eco-thriller documentary that exposes the horrific practice of dolphin slaughtering -- some 23,000 a year -- in the otherwise sleepy town of Taiji, Japan. The movie, which opens nationwide this Friday, won the audience award at Sundance...

Dear Eco Etiquette:

Last week, I wrote a post about how American consumers can influence agribusiness to abandon its use of antibiotics in livestock by choosing to purchase antibiotic-free meat, and a comment I received in response to my advice, "Vote with your wallet," has stuck with me:

"Vote with your wallet...